Air Force fighter intercepts plane near Trump golf course

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — An Air Force F-16 fighter jet on Saturday intercepted a small aircraft that entered the no-fly zone near President Donald Trump's golf course here in suburban New Jersey, the White House said Sunday.

The aircraft was deemed a "non-threat" after law enforcement interviewed the pilot, according to the White House.

The incident took place while the president was spending the weekend at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, a frequent summer getaway for the first family.

"Yesterday at approximately 1230 EST, a small, low wing general aviation aircraft was detected entering 'no fly' space near Bedminster," White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement.

"As is standard practice in such cases, US military aircraft (single F-16) intercepted the violator and escorted them from restricted airspace. The aircraft was met upon landing at Sky Manor airport in Pittstown, NJ and the pilot interviewed by law enforcement and deemed a non-threat," she said.

The plane had entered the temporarily restricted airspace "without proper clearances or communications," Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement.

Further details on the incident were not immediately available.

Trump's visits to Bedminster have led to the frequent imposition of restrictions affecting aircraft large and small — and even, to the consternation of some ardent local hobbyists, model airplanes.